Watchdog calls for tough data protection penalties

27 Nov 2009

A report by the Information Commissioner says the reckless misuse of personal data led to an OAP's death, and people breaking data protection rules should face a prison term.

Information from private and public bodies, including that stored on the Police National Computer, is being used to commit serious crimes, claimed the watchdog's report.

Commissioner Christopher Graham said there were "many individuals who seek to unlawfully obtain personal information for a myriad of motives", adding the current penalty "has only a limited deterrent effect upon those committing these offences".

He wrote: "Custodial sentences will underline how, in an era of ever increasing collection, storage and use, unlawful obtaining etc is regarded as a serious offence."

In one case, a pensioner died after a police officer passed on his address to a man who later went to his house and threw a brick through his window following a parking dispute.

The 79-year-old man from Derby later died from the shock of the attack and two men were convicted of manslaughter.

But the police officer who provided the information was fined just £1,200, the report said.

In another case, a member of staff at Essex Police accessed intelligence systems "on some 800 occasions" between January 2007 and November 2008, but a judge was left astonished that he could only fine the offender £750.